Rare twin tornadoes tear through Nebraska town, leaving 2 dead

June 2014 – Pilger, NEBRASKA – Becky Hauf had always been told her little town of Pilger, Nebraska, would never see a tornado. Too close to the Elkhorn River, the folklore went. Instead, Pilger got two – at the same time. The rare twin tornadoes that spun through on Monday night wiped out the town’s business district, obliterated its fire station and ground 40 or 50 homes into rubble, Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said. As much as three-fourths of the town of 350 is gone, Unger said. Two people died during the storm — one a 5-year-old. The second death — a traffic accident — was probably weather-related, Unger said. Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk said 16 people were critically injured in the storms. In southern Wisconsin, a line of thunderstorms that spawned twisters rolled through late Monday and early Tuesday. The town of Madison was hit hard. Mayor Paul Soglin said about 25 homes were damaged by the storm, which caused about $10 million in damages, reported CNN affiliate WKOW. The National Weather Service said it appeared a tornado touched down and lifted several times in the Mineral Point and Verona areas. At least 19 homes in Verona, near Madison, were damaged so badly they were uninhabitable, WKOW reported. The weather service said two tornadoes touched down in Plateville. In Nebraska, severe weather also caused damage in the towns of Wisner, Stanton and Pender. All four communities are within about 40 miles (64 kilometers) of one another, about an hour and a half northwest of Omaha. –CNN